Barden’s Big Slot Machine Promises

Don Barden is officially the winner of the slot machine license for Pittsburgh, and now he has some big promises to keep. In his application for the slot machine license, he promised to help pay for a new hockey arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins, give money to a North Side community group, and spur a $350 million redevelopment in the Hill District. Those that gave him the slot machine license, as well as local officials, plan on him making good on those promises.

"That's one thing you can count on," Barden said after winning the license. "We're going to do what we said we're going to do."
Barden had agreed, in exchange for the slot machine license, to pay $7.5 million a year for 30 year for a new Uptown arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins; give North Side Leadership Conference $3 million ($1 million per year for three years), and work on redeveloping the Mellon Arena area in the Lower Hill District.

Barden had planned on meeting with the Mayor and Allegheny Chief Executive Dan Onorato to discuss how they will pay for the arena due to the fact that they won the slot machine license. However, the Penguin officials cancelled the event as they said they were not prepared to discuss alternate proposals.

The Penguins were counting on the Isle of Capri Casinos to win the slot machine license, as they had promised to pay the entire $290 million for a new arena if they had won. The group has 30 days to file an appeal, and many think they will exercise that option, considering that the other plan has them putting in money toward a new arena. If Isle had won the slot machine license, they would not have had to pay a dime.


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